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Principles of Cognitive Learning Theory
Cognitive learning theories are grounded in the following principles:
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Learning and development depend on learners' experiences.
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Learners are mentally active in their attempts to make sense of those experiences.
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Learners construct—they do not record—knowledge in the process of developing
an understanding of their experiences.
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Knowledge that is constructed depends on knowledge that learners already
possess.
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Learning is enhanced in a social environment.
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Learning requires practice and feedback.
Learning and Development Depend on Learners' Experiences
To see how experience influences learning and development, think about learning
to drive a car. Most cars now have automatic transmissions, so most likely you
originally learned to drive a car that had an automatic. However, suppose you have
a friend who asks you to help him move, but he has a pickup truck with a stick
shift. You struggle, but after several jerks, your friend's worry about tearing out the
rear end of his pickup, and killing the motor a few times, you get the hang of it. In
fact, you now are able to drive vehicles with stick shifts without difficulty. Because
of your experience you have now learned to drive vehicles with stick shifts, and
your driving skills are more fully developed than they would have been if you had
not acquired the experience. The famous developmental psychologists Jean Piaget
(1952, 1959) and Lev Vygotsky (1978, 1986) both emphasized the importance of
experience in promoting development, and it is illustrated in you learning to drive
vehicles with stick shifts.
One of essential roles of education is to provide students with the experiences
that become the raw material for their development.
Learners Are Mentally Active in Their Attempts to Make Sense
of Their Experiences
Cognitive learning theorists view students as “goal-directed agents who actively
seek information” (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2000, p. 10). For example, think
about the number of times you have said to yourself or to someone else, “That
makes sense,” “That doesn't make any sense,” or “That sounds sensible.” These
simple statements reflect people's innate desire to understand their experiences, and
it is arguably the most fundamental cognitive principle that exists. It explains why
we are uncomfortable when faced with new situations that we do not understand and
why we derive satisfaction from solving a unique problem or gaining a new insight.
This principle also helps us understand aspects of motivation. We want our expe-
riences to make sense to us, and when they do not, we are motivated to understand
why. This explains why small children will repeat the same task over and over. When
